Native Instruments Traktor DJ Primer - A Simplified Guide

The purpose of this primer is to help you find the Native Instruments product that best suits your DJing needs. We've simplified functions and features to the most basic terms, meaning we've left out full feature lists, points of confusion, and advanced themes. If you'd like to know more about DJ setups in general, also checkout our Beginner's Guide To DJ Setups.

1.0 The Software: Traktor Pro vs. Traktor DJ

What's the difference?

Traktor DJ is a simplified DJ program that runs on iOS devices such as iPads and iPhones.

Traktor DJ is available in Apple's App Store for approximately $20.

Traktor Pro and Traktor DJ each are compatible with specific Native Instruments products, more about this below.

You can sync track metadata between Traktor Pro and Traktor DJ, but they can not be used simultaneously.

Traktor LE is the basic / intro version of Traktor Pro. Traktor LE is bundled with some hardware.

The first thing you should decide is which version of Native Instruments Traktor software you want to use. This will dictate what hardware you will need. If you are just experimenting or dabbling in DJing, you may want to try out the Traktor DJ iOS app. If you are serious about DJing and foresee yourself doing it for a while, we recommend Traktor Pro. Advanced users can also use Traktor DJ as their "light" setup while taking advantage of the PRO-DJ sync function.

Traktor Pro or Traktor DJ?

What else will I need to DJ make music?

2.0 What Kind of DJ Are You?

You are a pro or you aspire to be a pro. You want full, hands-on control over Traktor Pro. You want to go beyond mixing and get into advanced features like sampling, looping, cue points, and adding effects. You'll want to use: